TOI meets the women – stars of an Oscar-winning documentary – who fought stigma and shame to work in a sanitary napkin factory in a village near Hapur

Two girls giggle and hide their faces when asked about sanitary pads. “I know what it is but I feel shy,” says another woman. When a group of schoolboys is questioned about periods, one replies, “Like a class period? The kind you ring a bell for?”
These are the opening scenes of ‘Period. End of Sentence’, the documentary which has won an Oscar in the short subject category. It is based on the experiences of a group of young women at Kathikhera village near Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, who make sanitary napkins using low-cost machines invented by social entrepreneur and ‘Pad Man’ Arunachalam Muruganantham.

The two-room factory in Kathikhera village near Hapur, Uttar Pradesh

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The two-room factory in Kathikhera village near Hapur, Uttar Pradesh

Two years after their lives were captured on film, a seven-member team of women is still hard at work to meet its daily target of 600 pads. Situated next to a buffalo enclosure, the two-room factory makes eco-friendly sanitary pads from scratch using wood pulp.
The pads are sold under the brand name Fly, with a packet of six costing Rs 30. “In the beginning, many girls didn’t even tell their families they were making pads out of shame,” says Suman, a worker with NGO Action India, in whose house the unit is located. Each worker makes Rs 2,000 a month. Rakhi, who wants to be a college lecturer, uses her earnings to pay for her MA studies. Arshi, a BSc student, wants to be a doctor.

The Fly pads are made from scratch using wood pulp

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The Fly pads are made from scratch using wood pulp

Then, there is the documentary’s ‘star’ Sneha. The 23-year-old wants to join the police, which she considers her escape route from the social pressure of marriage. “When I began working here, I told my father that it was a diaper factory. I felt ashamed that people would wonder why this girl is talking about a topic like menstruation,” she says. “But I realised if I was embarrassed, how would I do my work?” She soon gathered the courage to broach the M word with her female relatives and friends, convincing them to adopt pads.

Sneha (centre) is the 'star' of Oscar-nominated documentary 'Period. End of Sentence'

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Sneha (centre) is the 'star' of Oscar-nominated documentary 'Period. End of Sentence'

Sneha, who’s funding her coaching classes for competitive exams, says that though she has a supportive father, it felt good to be able to “do something on my own steam”.
If these girls can dream today, some of the credit goes to 10 schoolgirls and their English teacher from a school in Los Angeles who raised money to donate a pad-making machine to Hapur after learning that many girls their age had to drop out of school because of periods. With their teacher Melissa Berton’s help, they partnered with NGOs Girls Learn International and Action India.

A worker at the Hapur factory holds up a sanitary pad

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A worker at the Hapur factory holds up a sanitary pad

The latter has set up a second unit in neighbouring Sudhana village, where seven more women are working. Two more are in the pipeline. But manufacturing is only half the battle. More difficult is the job of convincing women to switch from cloth to sanitary napkins.

When I began working at the unit, I told my father it was a diaper factory because I felt ashamed. But I realised that if I was embarrassed, how would I do my work?

Sneha, Worker at the unit

The Fly team offers door-to-door delivery, tapping into a network of Asha and anganwadi workers to distribute pads. “Girls are embarrassed to buy pads from shops,” says Sneha. “When they get it at home, it becomes much easier.” Currently, they sell 700-800 pads a month. A series of ongoing ‘Gyan Vigyan’ melas in Hapur villages educate locals about menstrual hygiene and puberty through charts and diagrams, and explain gender equality using the game of snakes and ladders.

A village mela to raise awareness on menstrual health

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A village mela to raise awareness on menstrual health

At a mela in Nawada village, a worried woman Gulshan brought her teenage daughter Kareena who was suffering from acute menstrual cramps. Using a diagram of the uterus, the educator explained the basics of menstruation, the importance of hygiene and a nutritious diet, and how to get relief with the help of hot compress and warm drinks. Gulshan left with two packets of Fly pads, the first time she and her daughter will use sanitary napkins.

A session on menstrual hygiene and puberty at the 'Gyan Vigyan' mela in the village

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A session on menstrual hygiene and puberty at the 'Gyan Vigyan' mela in the village

The Oscar-winning film was shot in Kathikhera village in 2017. Sulekha, an activist with Action India says, “Everyday a big crowd would come to see the shooting. When they found out it was based on the pad unit, they started talking about the issue. The film partly helped break the silence on periods.”
Sneha is presently in Los Angeles to attend the Oscar ceremony. Before leaving, she told TOI, “I’m both excited and scared. I haven’t even been to Delhi.” When she saw herself on screen, she felt proud about doing something “hatke”. “It isn’t just about earning money. I want to raise awareness and prove that girls aren’t dependent on anyone, especially husbands,” she says.
Photos and video: Anindya Chattopadhyay

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